1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital TV, and more particularly, to a graphic interface device and method in a digital TV.
2. Description of the Background Art
As the video media are recently digitized, cable broadcasting or satellite broadcasting using an analog method becomes digitized, with a consequence that the conventional analog media will be replaced with the digital media.
Owing to the digitization of the broadcasting, users who enjoyed a small number of existing channels can possess a large number of channels and programs of a high quality of image.
In addition, a user graphic program guide is provided for the convenience of the users, with which they can read the information on the large number of channels and select desired programs.
FIG. 1 shows an example of conventional user graphic interface environment. Typically, this is provided by a set-top box manufacturer or a program power providing an application software such as graphic environment. Since, however, the use, graphic interface environment as shown in FIG. 1 is in 3 single form, it is static and passive when viewed in the user""s position. In other words, the user can select desired channels and programs under the service of the single and set form of use graphic environment provided by the above-described manufacturer or program provider.
It can be, therefore, understood that the conventional user graphic interface environment fails to provide the graphic interface satisfying a user""s preference.
An object o the invention is to provide a graphic interface device and method in a digital TV capable of providing various forms of user graphic environment
Another object of the invention is to provide a graphic interface device and method in a digital TV capable of inserting and transmitting various forms or program guides on a stream at a transmitting side and parsing the transmitted program guides and decoding the parsed information to display the decoded result at a receiving side, thereby providing user graphic environment satisfying a user""s preference.
To attain these objects described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a graphic interface device in a digital TV which comprises: a receiving side for receiving various forms of user graphic environment which can be selected by a user, which are coded, assigned with specific packet identification (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x98PIDxe2x80x99), and multiplexed with video information, audio information and additional information at a transmitting side; and a graphic interfacing side for parsing and decoding the various forms of graphic environment data of the specific PID received at the receiving side to be displayed on a screen for selection by the user, and for parsing and decoding once again only the corresponding graphic environment selected by the user to display it on the screen.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the PID, which is assigned to the user graphic environment at the transmitting side, is distinguished from a PID each assigned to the video information, the audio information and the additional information.
To attain these objects described above, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a graphic interface method in a digital TV which comprises the steps of: if various forms of user graphic environment to be selected by a user, which are coded, assigned with specific PID, and multiplexed with video information, audio information and additional information, are transmitted by a transmitting side, receiving the various kinds of user graphic environment from the transmitting side; and parsing and decoding the various kinds of graphic environment data of the specific PID to be displayed on a screen, thereby being selected by the user, and parsing and decoding once again only the corresponding graphic environment selected by the user to be displayed on the screen.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the displaying step comprises the steps of: if a program guide, in an environment set menu which can be selected by the user, has been selected by the user, parsing the stream of the assigned PID to the selected program guide; decoding the parsed stream to store various forms of program guide patterns in a memory; performing a (graphic user interface (hereinafter, referred as xe2x80x98GUIxe2x80x99) process for the various forms of program guide patterns to be thereby displayed in an on screen display (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x98OSDxe2x80x99) fashion; if any one of the various forms of program guide patterns has been selected by the user, parsing the stream of the assigned PID to the selected program guide pattern; decoding the parsed stream to store the corresponding program guide pattern in the memory; and displaying only the corresponding program guide pattern stored in the memory in the OSD fashion.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the displaying step comprises the steps of: if a menu icon, in an environment set menu which can be selected by the user, has been selected by the user, parsing the stream of the assigned PID to the selected menu icon; decoding the parsed stream to store various forms of menu icons in a memory; performing a GUI process for the various forms of menu icons and text forms of indication menu names which are to be set as the menu icons to be displayed in a menu form; if respective ones of the various forms of menu icons and indication menu names have been selected by the user, parsing the stream of the assigned PID to the selected icon; decoding the parsed stream to store the corresponding icon in the memory; and replacing the selected indication menu name with the corresponding icon and displaying the replaced icon.